Blog

#iste13 #hacked13
Yesterday I attended the annual un-conference that is before ever ISTE conference. Over the years the name of this un-conference has changed, I think it started as EduBloggerCon but then last year they changed it to SocialEdCon, which didn't last because this year it is Hack Ed. A name the better suits this crowd of educational heretics.

Here are some of the ideas I got from this year's un-conference...

1 to 1 is big. With most schools now going for the idea of a laptop/computer/tablet per child, the problems that came up during these sessions were all about how to manage all of the hardware. Everything from security issues to bandwidth were discussed.

The Maker Movement is Coming. The ideas of "makers" has been around for at least the past 15 years, but now it is finally getting traction in our schools. With many schools now opting to change their old shops and home-ec spaces into Maker Spaces. Some schools are now giving up some of their library space to be Maker Spaces. Geeks and tinkerers rejoice!

Badges are Going to Be Big. There was a lot of discussion this year around using badges to motivate students to learn more. This is another idea that has been brewing for a while, but is now starting to hit critical mass for acceptance as a viable alternative to grades.